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The DPP should quit
analysis, start action
By Chin Heng-wei 金恆煒
After having lost the presidential election, all the air seems to have gone out
of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). It is engaging in post-defeat
analysis, but not very willingly. Apart from that, there are the media reports
on the infighting over who will take over the party leadership when DPP
Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) steps down. However, where is the DPP in all
this?
China has already sent its people over here to inspect the election gains.
Taiwan Affairs Office Vice Minister Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中) is traveling around
southern Taiwan and Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong (郭金龍) is leading a 500-strong
delegation to Taipei to congratulate the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
leadership — but where is the DPP?
When Zheng visited Taichung in 2009, DPP supporters launched strong protests.
Why are they doing nothing this time around? Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen
(蘇治芬) said she suspects Zheng of plotting and scheming and she openly claimed
that he has political motives. However, what good are suspicions or open claims
when the DPP is just sitting around doing nothing to try to stop Zheng? What
good is such an opposition party to Taiwan?
Guo is a thug who kills Tibetans, persecutes Falun Gong followers and oppresses
Taiwanese businesspeople based in China. He has bloods on his hands. Can the DPP
stand coolly by and do nothing?
Chang Ching-hsi (張清溪), chairman of the Taiwanese Falun Dafa Association, and a
team of lawyers filed a lawsuit against Guo at the High Court, accusing him of
human rights violations, while Tibetan organizations are following him around
and protesting whereever he goes. In Beijing, an angry Ai Weiwei (艾未未) broke off
cooperation with the Taipei Fine Arts Museum on publication of a commemorative
book in protest at Guo’s invitation to Taipei — but where is the DPP?
The DPP is the biggest opposition party and it is also a pro-localization party.
Even more importantly, the DPP is a party founded on principles of justice,
democracy, human rights and the rule of law. What is going on? The DPP can’t
even measure up to the Falun Gong or Tibetan organizations, and in Beijing, Ai
is not afraid to stand up for what he believes — but where is the DPP?
The DPP seems to place discourse first. The post-election analysis is all about
discourse and the party’s ability to act is nowhere to be found.
However, we must not forget that action is at the core of discourse. Without
action, there is only discourse, talk and hot air. Frankly speaking, no amount
of post-election analysis can make up for real action.
If only the DPP could lead Taiwanese in taking action and protesting against the
Chinese Communist Party bandits Zheng and Guo, and if only they could take
action to highlight Taiwan’s sovereignty and universal values, then who cares if
there is any post-election analysis, or how much analysis there is? We don’t
need a castrated opposition party.
Chin Heng-wei is editor-in-chief of Contemporary Monthly.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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